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“Opened my sample packet of this a couple of nights ago, when I was tired but desparately in need of a last (caffiene free) drink before bed. I’ve not been a huge fan of Adagio’s rooibos...”
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“This smells much better than the mango rooibos I tried last night. Still more piney than I am used to, but not bad.
This tastes much better than the mango blend too! It’s still not quite my...”
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“When I first started drinking “loose leaf tea” (this is neither tea nor leaf, but… whatever) I had been strictly caffeine-free for years. The rooibos in my Adagio herbal sampler...”
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“Smells of wood, something wet but fresh cut, not oak, Alder maybe. It has been too long since my forestry lab class for me to identify trees from the smell after they have been cut. In addition you...”
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From Adagio Teas

Rooibos, colloquially known as Red Tea, is an herbal plant that grows in South Africa. Rooibos is a flavorful, caffeine-free alternative to tea for those seeking to eliminate caffeine intake. Ours is a top-grade, organic African tea.

42 Tasting Notes

Opened my sample packet of this a couple of nights ago, when I was tired but desparately in need of a last (caffiene free) drink before bed. I’ve not been a huge fan of Adagio’s rooibos blends thus far, but this one actually took me by surprise. Dry, it smells just like I imagined — woodsy, with that metallic tang about it that I so much dislike. I gave it about 3-4 minutes in boiling water, and added milk. I have to say, it wasn’t bad. The milk mellowed out the taste a bit, and I actually ended up liking it more than I suspected I would. It’s not too overpoweringly strong, although it is woodsy in taste. It’s plain and no fuss, but sometimes that’s the best thing. I’m back at work this week, starting my new promotion, so I’ll finish off my sample if I use this as a pre-bedtime drink. Not one I’d repurchase, but worth trying all the same.

Preparation

This smells much better than the mango rooibos I tried last night. Still more piney than I am used to, but not bad.
This tastes much better than the mango blend too! It’s still not quite my favorite rooibos (it has the hint of cough syrup to it) but very drinkable and enjoyable.

Preparation

When I first started drinking “loose leaf tea” (this is neither tea nor leaf, but… whatever) I had been strictly caffeine-free for years. The rooibos in my Adagio herbal sampler was a real standout, and it was practically the only thing I drank. I bought a pound of it, which is still my biggest single-variety purchase ever.

My job has led me back into the world of mandatory morning caffeine, and I’ve since fallen in love with black teas, and it’s been ages since I’ve really had a cup of rooibos. And as I said in my recent post about rooibos caramel, I finally got an infuser that works really well with it… and, I might have to bring it back into a nightly habit.

Preparation

It’s this one ( http://bit.ly/tea127 ) from Teavana, but they have a few that should work the same. It leaves the tiniest bit of dust in the cup, but rooibos was practically undrinkable with my other infuser. And I think Adagio’s IngenuiTEA works the absolute best for rooibos, but mine’s leaking and I haven’t replaced it yet.

Smells of wood, something wet but fresh cut, not oak, Alder maybe. It has been too long since my forestry lab class for me to identify trees from the smell after they have been cut. In addition you have some brown sugar aroma mixed in and a whisper of nutmeg? Something in the smell also reminds me of butter, but that isn’t quite right. In addition with a deep inhale the smell has a slight stinging sensation deep in my nose… Odd… I haven’t noticed that before.

This was prepared with 14 ounces of water and two teaspoons of rooibos, finishing my sample from Adagio. I steeped this one longer than I had previously. Since I was loading the dishwasher and happened to actually let it go the extra minute before my timer went off. Past experience has been that rooibos itself is very forgiving to extra steeping time and this seems to hold true.

First taste when it hits your tongue is also very woody, but in a pleasant way. Aftertaste is much the same with a touch of olive oil? Something that makes my brain think of butter or olive oil, but my taste buds are still shouting wood! Red rooibos mixes very well with flavors and straight “red bush” tea is something I wanted to try so I would know what was the rooibos and what was the extra added flavors. All in all I prefer the Adagio Orange Rooibos for taste, but the smell of straight rooibos tea is quite good and a delight to my nose. As it cools the flavor of wood becomes a little milder and I might be getting a dash of pepper from the back of my tongue, a very mild black pepper like nibble back there…

In case you haven’t noticed I do like my rooibos, now that I’m out I’ll have to find some more from somewhere. Luckily my new tea shipment should come tomorrow assuming the weather north of me hasn’t delayed it yet again…

Preparation

I finished this up too last night! I had found a bunch of rooibos samples from Adagio at my parent’s house (I think it was my sister’s) but I knew that no one would touch any tisane or tea in that house. So, I snatched it! Nice basic rooibos. A little woody but sweet. I prefer flavored or blended rooibos though.

Oh yum. It’s been such a long time since I’ve had a decent pot of rooibos—and this hits the spot.
This is one of the few teas that I feel like I’d love to re-purchase when I run out. We’ll see though, because rooibos is a favorite of mine, so chances are I’ll try a bunch of different kinds of rooibos from different companies, too. We’ll see.
In any case, this particular tea makes a fabulous cup! :)

This is a fantastic tisane. Rooibos hits the spot and I recommend it to my friends who are not tea drinkers. Rooibos is great for that particular audience because it may not taste bitter and is like-able from the first sip. I select rooibos for the tea novices or for my friends because most of them drink it without adding any milk or sugar. I cannot say the same about my friends who I have brewed a cup of Gunpowder green tea for. Rooibos is an excellent selection and beneficial health-wise for the drinker. I enjoy drinking a cup of Rooibos before bed time.

Preparation

I’m not quite sure how I feel about this…
The color is definitely beautiful in a glass cup.
It tastes woody, but there’s a kind of nasty taste hidden within. It reminds me of my high school job at CVS. If you got too close to the tobacco behind the counter, this foul smell would overwhelm you.
I guess I’ll try Honeybush next time, and see if that’s any better.

This is an interesting plant. The dry product in the container smells of pipe tobacco…although a bit more earthy and not nearly as strong. Brewing it brings out the flavor a bit but remains a bit shallow compared to the complexity of variants of the actual tea plant. However, due to the insane amount of supposed health benefits (via antioxidants, nutrients and more) that this plant has to offer, and the lack of tannins oxalates and caffeine that tea does have, I’d recommend frequent consumption of Rooibos simply to promote better health, and then have your favorite teas to please your senses and taste buds. :)

For those not fond of the taste, I’d recommend trying Honeybush, as it tastes worlds better, and since it is from the same family of plants, it shares the health benefits. I’d highly recommend it over Rooibos in terms of taste.

A few more things…neither this nor Honeybush can be oversteeped, (the flavors only enhance with steep time) and both are 100% great for insomnia, relaxation and reducing anxiety, especially when combined with Lemongrass.